


Ever After

by Ruenis



Category: Etrian Odyssey Series
Genre: Anniversary, Celebrations, Fluff, Gen, Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruenis/pseuds/Ruenis
Summary: It's the anniversary of Guild Angio! Miss Guildmaster has helped organised a party for everyone, and it's time to reminisce about all the times they've spent in the labyrinth!
Kudos: 4





	Ever After

“.. lick that coral bench, the one in the Grotto! Could’a been dirty with monster stuff or somethin’, y’know?” Sovereign hears when entering the bar; she groans softly upon seeing her members already drunk and merry.

There are tables pushed together, and chairs crammed in wherever they can fit, letting guild Angio to sit together. The tables are full of plates of food and half filled mugs of ale; it seems they’ve already ordered enough of everything for at least half the guild members.

Medic’s cheeks are aflame with indignance. It’s easy to rile him up, especially when it’s their Bard teasing him. “It wasn’t  _ coral _ , it was  _ salt  _ and salt’s a naturally purifying mineral..!” he retorts.

“Well, no one but you can prove that, so..”

“It  _ was  _ salt..”

“Not everyone's here yet?” Sovereign asks, interrupting their chatter.

Most of the guild raises their heads – a few of them are already far gone, too drunk to respond.

“Miss Guildmaster!” one of them greets, voice soft, “A few of them went to grab a cake..”

_ Shy, as always, _ Sovereign thinks to herself. Sitting down, she settles comfortably beside the person who’d answered her: Fencer, a shy noble.

Bard throws an arm over Medic’s shoulders, “ _ Any _ way, miss Guildmaster, tell ‘em about the fish in Tharsis. Y’know the one.”

Indeed she does. Sovereign smiles, more than happy to indulge. This  _ is  _ their anniversary party after all, and it wouldn’t be a party without some stories. “Who’s been to Tharsis?” she questions, waiting for a show of hands.

A few members of guild Angio raise their hands, albeit clumsily.

Only three of the original members of the Tharsis expedition are present – their Arcanist, Fortress, and miss Guildmaster herself. The other two, Runemaster and War Magus, must be out in the city with the other missing members.

“Alright. For those of you who don't know, Tharsis has a swampy area full of giant frog FOEs called the ‘Noisy Marsh’,” Sovereign starts, keeping it simple for her drunken crew, “There's pools filled with muddy water.. Fortress saw a crayfish in one of them, a monster type with pincers.”

Horror flashes across some of their faces. Monsters are largely inedible in most cities, with chefs and adventurers alike unsure of how to prepare them properly and consume them safely.

“Didn't it take ya  _ hours _ ?”

“We had t’ wipe out the FOEs patrollin’ an’ then Arcanist had t’ set up a bindin’ circle t’ keep th’ monsters away,” Fortress says, glancing toward their vessel friend; they’re silent, but nod their head. “The frogs woulda stepped on us ‘n’ pushed us int’a th’ marsh while we were tryin’ t’ catch the fish.. An’ the other monsters woulda been bothersome..”

“The first few times, it hit us with its tail and it'd swim away.. and when it didn't swim away, it'd snip at their fingers. Runemaster and Fortress had to bandage their fingers since we didn't want to lose any equipment in the mud,” Sovereign continues, grimacing.

Its tail had definitely hurt a lot less than the snipping; it had razor-like spikes inlaid in its claws.

“We had t’ get War Magus to patch ‘em up so the blood wouldn't attract monsters,” Fortress says, “Least it didn't leave a scar. Took us a few  _ dozen  _ tries t’ try and catch it. An’ when we finally did, Arcanis’ did somethin’ to it before we set it free. Really wasn’t worth all th’ time it took t’ catch it.”

No one's quite sure what Arcanist did to it, exactly; none of them have asked.

“I doubt we could've eaten it. And no one in Tharsis seemed particularly interested in it.. It wouldn't have sold for much, unless someone wanted Wynne to make something from those claws.”

Bard laughs, startling Medic awake and causing him to sit up straight, having dozed off. “I bet Medic woulda loved t’ study it, or keep it as a pet,” they say, and Medic ignores them this time, his features stoic as he reaches for another mug of ale. “Now tell ‘em ‘bout the other one, miss Guildmaster! The one in the Golden Deer Keep!” 

Fortress and Sovereign both groan in exasperation. Arcanist glances between the two of them, still silent, though they're smiling, now. Bard slides them a small plate of meat, and they sign ‘thank you’ – they press a hand to their mouth, and then slowly extend it away, keeping their palm upward and flat – before they start to eat.

“There was.. another crayfish, in th’ Keep,” Fortress starts, seeming immensely disappointed in himself, “We tried t’ catch it again.”

It didn’t click for them initially. The labyrinths in the Cloudy Stronghold aren't muddy in the least, and their pools are full of dark water with seemingly endless bottoms; they had completely forgotten the experience of the Noisy Marsh.

Fortress shifts on his stool, a scowl on his features. “Took us almos’ thirteen tries, tha’ time,” he mumbles, “Runemaster finally caught it, but she ended up gettin’ ‘er fingers pinched, an’ it got all swollen an’ bloody.. War Magnus patched ‘er up, but this one had some kinda paralytic on its claws..”

Unfortunately, War Magi aren't equipped to deal with ailments, and they didn’t have any Therica B on them at the time.

“We had to use an Ariadne Thread to get back to Tharsis and stock on medicine..”

“I think the lesson here's t’ not try t’ catch the fish in the Tharsisian labyrinths.”

A few of the younger, newer members share worried glances again.

“Alright! Who wants t’ hear the story about the dolls in the sixth stratum, again?” Bard asks, clapping their hands together, “There were a couple’a bloody dolls lyin’ around, an’ if ya found ‘em all and put them all together, then they'd..”

“Bard,” Sovereign warns, and they stop, the smallest of smiles on their lips.

A few months ago, Bard had sat a few of the younger members down and told them about the sixth stratum as part of some nighttime game. They'd ended up terrifying half of them when they talked about how the bloodied dolls would move, when they mentioned that the floors in that stratum are forever sticky in something that smells metallic. Bard hadn't even been able to get to the cursed axe, or the pitch dark rooms that were far too disorienting.

Those stories and late nights ended with Sovereigns deciding that Tharsis wasn't an appropriate starting area for newer recruits, especially since Bard serves as her assistant when Fencer isn't present. It’s only natural that they’re so adept at telling stories, but Sovereign wishes they were a little  _ less  _ good at it, and didn't use their gift to scare newer, naïve members.

“.. by the way, and this only applies to a few of you, but those with heart disorders are  _ not  _ allowed to explore the sixth stratum of Tharsis without consulting one of our medical members,” Sovereign says, and Bard falls silent at that, knowing full well what she's referring to, “Understood?”

“Understood, miss Guildmaster!”

One of their younger members raises her hand – she's the younger sister of a Sniper they'd picked up in Etria, and now assists with gathering teams as well as caring for any docile animals they come across.

“Go ahead, Farmer,” Sovereign prompts, and the young girl shifts in her chair, seated with others who are too young to drink alcohol.

“.. could you.. tell us more about Etria?” Farmer asks, glancing between the Guildmaster and Fencer. They had both been present for that expedition, and Fencer’s good friends with Sniper; the two of them are responsible for recruiting him.

Fencer, though incredibly shy, makes for a great right hand man. The two of them are childhood friends, and with Bard’s help, he acts as acting leader whenever Sovereign isn't present.

“Oh, I can..” Fencer glances toward Sovereign and earns a small nod, a ‘go ahead’. “Etria was.. a little different, than we were used to. The people were friendly, and their town grew into a city once guilds started exploring their Yggdrasil.. but, uh.. the more we progressed.. the more.. hostile.. their government got with us. The further we got, the more often they tried asking us to do things that were.. uncomfortable, and suspicious..” he starts, slow, “Since they only talk with guilds and explorers, not even Sniper knew how..”

“Bad,” Bard offers, blunt, displeasure on their features, “The Etrian government was  _ bad _ .”

Pausing for a moment, the few present members of the Etrian expedition shift in their seats, looking uneasy at the memory. They refused every quest and task that seemed dubious at the time, and don't regret it; they would've had to work for someone full of malice, otherwise.

“Ren and Tlachtga weren't as bad as.. y’know..” one of their other members mumbles, a frown on her features.

“You didn't think they were kinda creepy? ‘cause they were. A little bit.”

“But they were helpful, sometimes! They gave us those flash bomb things!”

“.. and they also followed us around and spied on us.”

“They saved that guard, with the Hexer's bell. Prob’ly would’a died otherwise.”

“Yeah, but when  _ we  _ reached th’ fifth stratum, they tried t’  _ kill  _ us.”

Fencer flushes as the conversation slips away from him.

The other expedition members feel particularly strongly about their trip go Etria, and none of them can agree on how to feel toward Ren and Tlachtga. On one hand, they  _ were _ quite helpful; they offered handy information on some bosses, and gave them items to help with their expedition.. Arguably, they were only acting on orders and they did seem to genuinely trust the man they served. Despite that, they  _ did  _ attack their guild in the labyrinth, and ended injured some of them..

“.. was kinda nice of them to help with Fenrir. And the FOEs. Those bombs made sure we didn't get cornered.”

“I guess it.. was nice, but.. miss Guildmaster would’ve taken care of us, just fine.”

Standing up, Sovereign clears her throat, causing the members of guild Angio to fall silent. Their mugs and utensils cease clattering, and they give her their full attention. “Under Quinn’s new administration, Ren and Tlachtga are in charge of ensuring the forest folk’s safety and they're working to relocate them to somewhere other than the Sandy Barrens.. Quinn’s making sure they’ll never be bothered by anyone,” she explains, and a few of them visibly relax.

Guild Angio, and presumably a few other guilds, were asked to take part in a vile plot against the forest folk, which, thankfully, they all turned down. With no one to do his dirty work for him, Visil was forced to leave them alone lest rumours start to be spread and his public image became slandered and tarnished.

They have a few of the forest folk in their own ranks – they’re busy in Etria working to repair the goodwill between them and the Etrian citizens. They seem to be doing a good job of things, and Ren and Tlachtga are well on their ways to becoming positive figures again.

Sovereign glances toward Farmer, who's nodding to herself, seemingly happy with the answers she'd been given. Sniper’s somewhere in town with the others, and will probably join them later. He'd been an important member of the team – his binds and ailment tipped arrows proved extremely useful. Farmer herself’s responsible for assisting with material expeditions, primarily in High Lagaard.

“I like Sniper,” Bard says thoughtfully after a moment, a small smile on their lips, “Your brother's one of our best trainers, even if he's really quiet. We hear good things from the trainees all the time.”

They talk mostly about how Sniper’s incredibly proficient at his job, but, due to his shyness, doesn't speak often.

Sovereign accepts another mug that Bard slides over to her, gently tapping it to their own. It makes a dull sound, and she takes a few more sips of ale. Fencer reaches over across the table when Dancer holds out a plate of grilled mushrooms and some more slices of meat, and carefully places it between them.

“Um, you should eat, miss Guildmaster..” he murmurs, and Arcanist nods; they are finished with their fish, and seem to be eating biscuits now, with honey slathered onto small slices.

“Didn't you say a few people were out, looking for a cake?”

“W.. well, yes, but..”

“I'll wait for that,” Sovereign says, nodding politely.

Fencer only stares at her for a moment before sighing and looking away. Since this  _ is  _ their anniversary party, perhaps he can let her terrible eating habits slide, for now. The others should be back soon with the cake, anyway, and maybe afterward she’ll eat something more substantial.

“Y’know, miss Guildmaster, they're able t’ relax and have fun ‘cause’a you,” Bard points out, reaching over to stab a few chunks of grilled mushroom with their fork, “If it wasn’t for you, they wouldn’t be able t’ explore and enjoy themselves as much as they do.”

“Though, uh, a few o’ them are kinda afraid of eatin’ ‘shrooms now ‘cause they haven’t had th’ best experiences in th’ labyrinths,” Fortress points out, causing Bard to hesitate for only a second before popping the grilled mushrooms into their mouth.

A few of them, several times, have eaten some mushrooms in some of the labyrinths. A few of them have gotten poisoned, not lethally, thankfully, but like with the carp, none of them have learned their lesson.

Once, a half dozen of their gatherers lost half a day’s worth of memories, but were oddly uninjured after eating some wild mushrooms they came across in High Lagaard. They came back fatigued, though wholly intact.

Another time, a few of them mistook ‘wild’ mushrooms as edible food, and tried to eat a few of them – they ended up getting a faceful of panic spores and had to fight them off whilst disoriented.

.. and a third time, they’d all gotten poisoned and ended up having to use an Ariadne Thread to get back to town before they all fell prey to monsters more than willing to take advantage of their weakened, sick state.

In spite of that, they still haven't stopped eating any wild foods they've come across, even when Botanist or Medic aren't there to tell them otherwise. At least nothing  _ especially  _ serious has happened before, even if Shogun  _ did  _ end up paralysed that one time.. It isn't as if any of them have been petrified or cursed. Yet.

“I'm surprised they still trust the gatherers’ judgment,” Bard comments, visibly amused. The gatherers, though good at their job, aren’t the best when it comes to identifying what’s edible and what isn’t; they need to be properly trained by Botanist so they quit eating things that aren’t supposed to be eaten.

“They’re prob’ly hoping one’a th’ ‘shrooms will have buffing properties..” Fortress says, shaking his head as he watches Bard eat a few more of the grilled mushrooms.

These particular ones, of course, are perfectly safe and grown by an actual professional. Despite that, the grilled mushrooms don't seem to be all that popular on the other tables, and remain mostly uneaten.

“Don't say that in front of them,” Medic chastises, “A few of them might eat wild ‘shrooms on a whim.. War Magus and I can't watch them all the time..”

“You know a few of them’ve already tried,” Bard says, completely serious, “Some o’ the kids get a li’l riled up in the labyrinth. I wouldn't be surprised t’ hear a few’a them ended up sick, eatin’ wild mushrooms.”

“Act’ally, I think I heard Botanis’ had t’ take care o’ a few recruits after they’d gotten lost. Think they ate some kinda poison potato.”

Arcanist taps on Fencer’s arm, drawing him away from the conversation, though he hadn’t participated in it. They point to their wrist, and then make a small circle with their hands, asking a question.

“Oh.. the time..?” Fencer wonders aloud, glancing toward the bar’s front door. “It should be around eleven..” he tells the Vessel, looking to Sovereign now, who's busy talking with Landsknecht and Imperial, now. Imperial catches his eyes and gives him a small smile and nod. “Bard,” he calls, keeping his voice low, “Keep her distracted.”

Bard gladly stands up and joins Landsknecht and Imperial's side, easily adding to the conversation. “I think Tharsis was one of our best expeditions, miss Guildmaster,” they say, earning an agreeing nod from from the other two women; they were, after all, recruited in Tharsis, “Aside from the sixth stratum, at least.. I think it was beautiful.”

“I loved the Misty Ravine,” Imperial says, “Even if we got lost in the fog a few times.” She'd been stuck in the Cloudy Stronghold with the prince, with no way of navigating through Tharsis until those barriers had been taken care of, and since then has enjoyed seeing more of the world.

“Your libraries were nice, too,” Landsknecht murmurs, glancing toward the other girl, “Even if one of them  _ did  _ end up pinching Runemaster's fingers..” A small smile pulls at her lips. “The Outland Count still asks for you whenever we're in the area. You kinda spearheaded the whole exploration thing..”

“I.. guess I did, but..”

_ “Happy anniversary, miss Guildmaster!” _

The shouting catches her off-guard, and what few members hadn’t been paying attention jump in surprise.

When Sovereign turns, she finds Fencer helping carry in a large cake with the missing guild members that had been ‘looking for food’ in town. They all have smiles on their faces, visible excitement as they slowly carry the frosted cake toward the table. It’s decorated with the Iron Crustacean FOE from the Tutelary forest, and there are a few frosting ‘pebbles’ littering around it.

“We hope you like it, miss Guildmaster!”

“We ordered this special after you told us ‘bout that FOE in Iorys, when you played the rock skipping game..”

They set the cake down upon the table she’s sitting at, letting her look at it more closely, pleasant surprise still in her eyes. The cake’s more than big enough to feed all of them, and though it isn’t exactly to scale, the frosting FOE is  _ huge _ .

Tears well up in Sovereign’s eyes. “This is..”

Guild Angio waits patiently as their guild leader gathers herself, visibly shaken by the gesture; none of their anniversary parties have been quite like this, but now that they're bigger, now that they've seen several countries..

“Thank you.. everyone..” Beaming, Sovereign looks between each of her members, trying not to collapse into tears.

“Why don’t’cha tell ‘em about Iorys over cake, miss Guildmaster?” Bard suggests, accepting a cake cutter when Runemaster hands it to them, “There's a whole lot ya haven't talked about, since it's our most recent expedition.”

Sovereign nods as Bard starts cutting small slices of cake for everyone, waiting for the rest of guild Angio to crowd around her table; they look excited to hear about her latest expedition to Iorys, to learn about their newest members and where they hail from. “I suppose I should start with the Iron Crustacean of Tutelary Forest..”

**Author's Note:**

> the EO zine was unfortunately canceled ;( so here's my entry for it, i had a lot of fun writing it


End file.
